--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Above all, we know that there’s a…" description: "\"“Above all, we know that there’s a physical basis for every psychological attribute we have: if just the right spot gets damaged, we can lose just abou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/666/sam-kean-10876_mental_above-all-we-know-that-there-s-a-physica_2437686.png" --- # Above all, we know that there’s a physical basis for every… ![“Above all, we know that there’s a physical basis for every psychological attribute we have: if just the right spot gets damaged, we can lose just about anything in our mental repertoire, no matter how sacred.” quote by Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/666/sam-kean-10876_mental_above-all-we-know-that-there-s-a-physica_2437686.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/666/sam-kean-10876_mental_above-all-we-know-that-there-s-a-physica_2437686.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/666/sam-kean-10876_mental_above-all-we-know-that-there-s-a-physica_2437686.png) > ““Above all, we know that there’s a physical basis for every psychological attribute we have: if just the right spot gets damaged, we can lose just about anything in our mental repertoire, no matter how sacred.”” [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our mental abilities are rooted in brain structures; damage to specific areas can erase particular functions. **In simple terms:** Brain damage can erase specific mental skills. Key Takeaway Protect brain health, understand neuropsychology. Themes neuroscience psychology biology Mood thoughtful analytical Type educational scientific philosophical When to use this quote - clinical diagnosis - rehabilitation - education - personal health Key Concepts brain localization neuroplasticity Questions to Reflect On - How does this view affect treatment of mental disorders? - Can we rebuild lost functions? A Different Perspective Complex traits involve many interacting regions, not just single spots. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Basis Psychological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basis-psychological-361522/) [Know Physical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-physical-361520/) [Matter Sacred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter-sacred-361521/) [Mental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental/) [Psychological Attribute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychological-attribute-361519/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [“Not matter what your sacred or religious book is, it's not how well you know the book, it's how well you're in alignment with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/not-matter-what-your-sacred-or-religious-book-is-it-s-not-how-well/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [Today I know that physical training should have as much place in the curriculum as mental training.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/today-i-know-that-physical-training-should-have-as-much-place-in-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“Right now, you don’t have the necessary faculties to know anything which is beyond the physical. If you recognize this, if you understand this,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadhguru/right-now-you-don-t-have-the-necessary-faculties-to-know-anything/) [Sadhguru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadhguru/) > [During the game, there has to be a moment where you have to set the tone. You have to let them know that you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-elliott/during-the-game-there-has-to-be-a-moment-where-you-have-to-set-the/) [Ezekiel Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-elliott/) > [Biggest Challenges in life are more mental then physical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/biggest-challenges-in-life-are-more-mental-then-physical/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Be curious not judge mental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/be-curious-not-judge-mental/) [Unknow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unknow/) > [Those things that give you pleasure, they can only give you mental pain...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mazher-mazher50/those-things-that-give-you-pleasure-they-can-only-give-you-mental-pain/) [Mazher (@mazher50](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mazher-mazher50/) > [The first principle of cognitive therapy is that all your moods are created by your 'cognitions,' or thoughts. A cognition refers to the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/the-first-principle-of-cognitive-therapy-is-that-all-your-moods-are/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [I think we need to talk about mental illness a lot more. People complain about tax dollars and say we don't have the money.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-long/i-think-we-need-to-talk-about-mental-illness-a-lot-more-people/) [Nia Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-long/) > [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Because there is actually something very interesting in Goodfellas, how the style of the film changes as time goes by and based on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cox/because-there-is-actually-something-very-interesting-in-goodfellas/) [Alex Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cox/) > [Mental health is an issue close to my heart - an issue, indeed, I've covered repeatedly for Channel 4 News.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-newman/mental-health-is-an-issue-close-to-my-heart-an-issue-indeed-i-ve/) [Cathy Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-newman/) > [I think a big part of success in football is mental, not physical. How you are inside your head matters more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iker-casillas/i-think-a-big-part-of-success-in-football-is-mental-not-physical-how/) [Iker Casillas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iker-casillas/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More by Sam Kean > [“So while Pauling struggled with his model, Watson and Crick turned theirs inside out, so the negative phosphorus ions wouldn’t touch. This gave them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/so-while-pauling-struggled-with-his-model-watson-and-crick-turned/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [So if big enough droplets fell far enough fast enough, someone floating right near the metallic hydrogen layer inside Jupiter maybe, just maybe, could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/so-if-big-enough-droplets-fell-far-enough-fast-enough-someone/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [Mendeleev, unlike the squeamish Meyer, had balls enough to predict that new elements would be dug up. Look harder, you chemists and geologists, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/mendeleev-unlike-the-squeamish-meyer-had-balls-enough-to-predict-that/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [“Lithium regulates the proteins that control the body’s inner clock. This clock runs, oddly, on DNA, inside special neurons deep in the brain. Special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/lithium-regulates-the-proteins-that-control-the-body-s-inner-clock/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [“Despite the earnest belief of most of his fans, Einstein did not win his Nobel Prize for the theory of relativity, special or general.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/despite-the-earnest-belief-of-most-of-his-fans-einstein-did-not-win/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [“The irony is too rich not to point out. When arranging the different human races in tiers, from just below the angels to just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/the-irony-is-too-rich-not-to-point-out-when-arranging-the-different/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [“Think of the most fussy science teacher you ever had. The one who docked your grade if the sixth decimal place in your answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/think-of-the-most-fussy-science-teacher-you-ever-had-the-one-who/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [“For his part, Mendeleev scanned Lecoq de Boisbaudran’s data on gallium and told the experimentalist, with no justification, that he must have measured something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/for-his-part-mendeleev-scanned-lecoq-de-boisbaudran-s-data-on-gallium/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [“Sir Isaac Newton famously said that he had achieved everything by standing on the shoulders of giants—the scientific men whose findings he built upon.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/sir-isaac-newton-famously-said-that-he-had-achieved-everything-by/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [“If certain bacteria, fungi, or algae inch across something made of copper, they absorb copper atoms, which disrupt their metabolism (human cells are unaffected).…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/if-certain-bacteria-fungi-or-algae-inch-across-something-made-of/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [“Scarily, cadmium is not even the worst poison among the elements. It sits above mercury, a neurotoxin. And to the right of mercury sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/scarily-cadmium-is-not-even-the-worst-poison-among-the-elements-it/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [“Somehow, though, life turned that danger around, and this former poison became essential. It may sound trite, but this reversal always reminds me of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/somehow-though-life-turned-that-danger-around-and-this-former-poison/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [“Since before even the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians, human beings used the stars and seasons to track time and record their most important moments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/since-before-even-the-ancient-egyptians-and-babylonians-human-beings/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [“Today alpha equals 1/137.0359 or so. Regardless, its value makes the periodic table possible. It allows atoms to exist and also allows them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/today-alpha-equals-1-137-0359-or-so-regardless-its-value-makes-the/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [“Furthermore, because silicon packs on more protons than carbon, it's bulkier, like carbon with fifty extra pounds. Sometimes that's not a big deal. Silicon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/furthermore-because-silicon-packs-on-more-protons-than-carbon-it-s/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) [Explore all 58 Sam Kean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) ## More Mental quotes > [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [Biggest Challenges in life are more mental then physical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/biggest-challenges-in-life-are-more-mental-then-physical/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think a big part of success in football is mental, not physical. How you are inside your head matters more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iker-casillas/i-think-a-big-part-of-success-in-football-is-mental-not-physical-how/) [Iker Casillas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iker-casillas/) > [Mental health is an issue close to my heart - an issue, indeed, I've covered repeatedly for Channel 4 News.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-newman/mental-health-is-an-issue-close-to-my-heart-an-issue-indeed-i-ve/) [Cathy Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-newman/) > [Be curious not judge mental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/be-curious-not-judge-mental/) [Unknow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unknow/) > [Because there is actually something very interesting in Goodfellas, how the style of the film changes as time goes by and based on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cox/because-there-is-actually-something-very-interesting-in-goodfellas/) [Alex Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cox/) > [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [I think we need to talk about mental illness a lot more. People complain about tax dollars and say we don't have the money.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-long/i-think-we-need-to-talk-about-mental-illness-a-lot-more-people/) [Nia Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-long/) > [“Mental illness is not something you misunderstand in this era. Get educated because bias is no different than racism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/mental-illness-is-not-something-you-misunderstand-in-this-era-get/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Ninety-nine percent of getting over a problem is mental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-hopkins/ninety-nine-percent-of-getting-over-a-problem-is-mental/) [Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) > [The first principle of cognitive therapy is that all your moods are created by your 'cognitions,' or thoughts. A cognition refers to the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/the-first-principle-of-cognitive-therapy-is-that-all-your-moods-are/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [Those things that give you pleasure, they can only give you mental pain...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mazher-mazher50/those-things-that-give-you-pleasure-they-can-only-give-you-mental-pain/) [Mazher (@mazher50](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mazher-mazher50/) > [It is true that my mental age is quite young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ok-taec-yeon/it-is-true-that-my-mental-age-is-quite-young/) [Ok Taec-yeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ok-taec-yeon/) > [“My mind," he said, "rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-he-said-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) [Browse all 1,466 Mental quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Above all, we know that there’s a physical basis for every psychological attribute we have: if just the right spot gets damaged, we can lose just about anything in our mental repertoire, no matter how sacred.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sam Kean" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/above-all-we-know-that-there-s-a-physical-basis-for-every/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Mental" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/above-all-we-know-that-there-s-a-physical-basis-for-every/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/666/sam-kean-10876_mental_above-all-we-know-that-there-s-a-physica_2437686.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/666/sam-kean-10876_mental_above-all-we-know-that-there-s-a-physica_2437686.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/666/sam-kean-10876_mental_above-all-we-know-that-there-s-a-physica_2437686.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Above all, we know that there’s a physical basis for every psychological attribute we have: if just the…” — Sam Kean", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sam Kean", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Above all, we know that there’s...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/above-all-we-know-that-there-s-a-physical-basis-for-every/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/above-all-we-know-that-there-s-a-physical-basis-for-every/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```